Posted tagged ‘gentrification’

A view of the Woodner through the center of a round patio and staircase in the back of the building.Tyrone Turner / WAMU

This morning I awoke to hear this WAMU feature on Mt. Pleasant’s Woodner Apartment building and its history. I found it to be an interesting history on how life in the building, and the surrounding Mt. Pleasant and Columbia Heights neighborhoods, have changed over the years. The article touches upon segregation, gentrification, and the impacts that change has on a neighborhood.

While the focus of the feature is on the Woodner and Mt. Pleasant, I find that the story is relevant to all Ward 1 neighborhoods and well worth the listen.

This film is based on research that explores diversity-seeking, community, and consumption in neighborhoods undergoing urban revitalization. In a study of three neighborhoods in Washington, DC, it finds that differences in resources, cultural norms and cultural preferences lead to tensions among some residents and perceived exclusion from consumption opportunities for others.

In 2001, if the neighborhood has a median property and federal adjusted gross income values below the respective citywide medians; and,

And from this subset of neighborhoods, identify which of these grew faster (in median property and income values) than the relative income and home values in the city.

In reviewing the paper’s neighborhood map (click on thumbnail above), it is quickly evident that the report identified neighborhood “areas” rather than true neighborhoods, thus indicating that there are more than 18 Washington neighborhoods in transition. For instance, the Columbia Heights node includes Park View, Pleasant Plains, and Ward 4’s North Columbia Heights area. But regardless of the actual neighborhood boundaries or how many neighborhoods are impacted, the overall map does paint a picture of a significant portion of the city in transition.

According to the report, neighborhoods in transition tended to have younger populations, with the people moving into them tending to be more prosperous. Race did not appear to be a major factor in neighborhood gentrification overall, with some neighborhoods, such as Deanwood or Marshall Heights, being over 90% black both in 2000 and today.

The 18 neighborhoods identified in the paper are:

Anacostia

Barry Farms

Brentwood

Brookland

Chillum

Columbia Heights

Congress Heights

Deanwood

Eckington

Fort Dupont Park

H Street NE

Ledroit Park

Lily Ponds

Marshall Heights

Petworth

Randle Heights

16th Street Heights

Trinidad

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While walking along Georgia Avenue over the weekend I noticed that Bill’s Seafood Kitchen — commonly referred to as Fish in the ‘Hood, has made a significant change to its tag line. Now, one of Park View’s better kept secrets located at 3601 Georgia boldly continues to sell some of the best fresh seafood offered in D.C. under a new sign that reads: Fish in theneighborHood.

According to the article, “last week, Bill White, the restaurant’s owner … climbed a ladder and hung [the] new boardwalk-style neon sign that reads: Fish in the Neighborhood, with “neighbor” in a contrasting color. The new sign puts a spotlight on what remains and what has changed in th[e] Georgia Avenue neighborhood known as Park View.”

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The following video at the Washington Post was brought to my attention and I thought it was something that would be of interest to many in the neighborhood. While it focuses on development and gentrification in Petworth, the images of CVS, Looking Glass Lounge, and Blue Banana indicate that the focus is more on the area around the Metro station rather than a particular neighborhood.

Saturday, lower Georgia Avenue south of Park Road was plastered with Keep DC a Chocolate City!posters (example at the right). While it lists many legitimate issues that the City and residents need to address — such as poverty, crime, the impact of development, HIV/AIDS, and displacement — it saddens me that these issues have all been presented as the Black community vs. the White community.

Washington is much more complex than that. D.C. has a rich culturally diverse population that continues to diversify. Ward 1 is home to significant Latino communities as well as persons of other ethnic backgrounds. In addition to historically Black neighborhoods changing demographically, there are also parts of the city that many would consider to be historically Black neighborhoods that were originally historically White neighborhoods . As one researches the City’s demography, the only thing that can be said for sure it that populations change over time and are continuing to change.

Vince Gray ran on a platform of “One City.” While a noble goal, is it achievable in a climate that is racially charged? Furthermore, can any of the serious issues facing our City be solved when our communities are pitted against each other?

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Park View’s Borders

"The territory comprising Park View extends from Gresham Street north to Rock Creek Church Road, and from Georgia Avenue to the Soldiers' Home grounds, including the triangle bounded by Park Road, Georgia Avenue, and New Hampshire Avenue" (from Directory and History of Park View, 1921.)

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